JPS63130368A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To constantly achieve stable recording in a wide range of temperature environments irrespective of the temperature of a recording material, by selecting an appropriate temperature table from a plurality of temperature tables according to a temperature detected by a temperature-detecting means. CONSTITUTION:The ambient temperature is detected by a temperature sensor 13 at intervals of, for example, 5min, the information thus detected is temporarily stored into a RAM 16, and the average Ts of the temperatures detected in the past 30min is used as a reference temperature for selection of a temperature table. For example three temperature tables are prepared. A temperature table (1) is selected when Ts is not higher than 5 deg.C, a temperature table (2) is selected when Ts is 5-35 deg.C, and a temperature table (3) is selected when Ts is higher than 35 deg.C, according to a command from a CPU 12. Based on information on the temperature of a thermal head substrate detected by a thermistor 14, applied pulses with a pulse width corresponding to an appropriate applied energy selected from the temperature table are supplied to a thermal head 6. For instance, when the ambient temperature Ts detected is 25 deg.C, the temperature table (2) is selected, and when the temperature detected by the thermistor is 55 deg.C, the pulse width of applied pulses is made to be 0.5msec.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a recording device such as a facsimile or a printer.

[Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally, there have been thermal recording methods and thermal transfer recording as recording methods for facsimiles, printers, and the like. The former is a method in which a heat-sensitive sheet that develops color due to heat is conveyed and a thermal head is used to heat the sheet for recording, while the latter is a method in which a recording sheet and an ink sheet are conveyed at the same time and the ink on the ink sheet is heated and melted by a thermal head. This method involves thermal transfer to a recording sheet.

In both cases, the substrate temperature of the thermal head is detected by a thermistor, and appropriate applied energy is selected from a preset temperature table according to the detected temperature information and applied to the thermal head. In the temperature table, the temperature detected by the thermistor, that is, the temperature of the substrate of the thermal head, is divided into eight stages, for example, and different applied energy corresponds to each temperature division, as shown in FIG. Here, the reason why the applied energy is changed at any time according to the temperature of the thermal head's substrate is due to the effect of heat accumulation in the thermal head's substrate, and as the substrate temperature rises, less applied energy is needed to obtain the appropriate print density. It is from.

However, although the conventional applied energy correction as described above works effectively in a normal indoor office environment, it may not be possible to obtain sufficient image quality in a high-temperature environment or a low-temperature environment exceeding a certain temperature range. For example, in the case of a thermal recording device built into equipment used indoors, the possible temperature environments during use span a wide range from high to low temperatures. There was a fear that the temperature environment would have to be limited quite narrowly. Furthermore, when reproducing halftones or performing thermal transfer recording using an ink sheet, image quality tends to deteriorate. this is,
The temperature of the recording material inside the device changes depending on the temperature environment in which it is used, but since the transfer status of applied energy differs depending on the temperature of the recording material, the optical density of the coloring part and the size of the coloring area will differ, resulting in a difference in the density that you are trying to express. This is to influence the

〔the purpose〕

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus which solves the problems of the conventional apparatus and which is not affected by environmental temperature and therefore enables good recording in a wider range of temperature environments.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a recording apparatus that records on a recording material using heat generated by a thermal head.
A plurality of temperature tables are provided for selecting the energy to be applied to the thermal head as the temperature of the thermal head changes, a temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature, and a temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection means. The present invention is characterized by comprising temperature table selection means for selecting an appropriate temperature table from the plurality of temperature tables.

[For production]

According to the above means, thermal recording is performed taking into account the temperature state of recording materials such as recording sheets and ink sheets, so that extremely stable recording with respect to temperature can be obtained.

〔Example〕

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The embodiment described below has a plurality of temperature tables corresponding to the ambient temperature of the recording material, a temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature of the recording material, and an appropriate temperature table according to the detected temperature of this temperature detection means. selection means for selecting a temperature table from among the plurality of temperature tables, and selecting from the temperature table energy to be applied to the thermal head as the substrate temperature of the thermal head changes; Recording is performed on the recording material by applying heat to the head to generate heat.

When selecting a temperature table here, the ambient temperature of the recording material is used as a reference, but for example, if the ambient temperature changes suddenly, it takes time for the recording material to follow the change in ambient temperature. Therefore, when selecting a temperature table, the reference temperature should be the average temperature of the ambient temperatures detected by the temperature detection means a certain number of times within a certain period of time. Temperature table can be selected.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a thermal transfer recording apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, in which an ink sheet 2 coated with ink and a recording sheet roll 3 are wound around a supply roll 1. Recording sheet (e.g. paper, plastic sheet, etc.)
4 is configured so that it can closely pass between a thermal head 6 having a heating element 5 capable of generating heat according to recorded image information and a platen roller 7, and at this time, the heating element 5y) according to predetermined recorded image information generates heat , the ink of the ink sheet 2 is peeled and welded to the recording sheet 4, and a predetermined recording surface is thermally transferred. Furthermore, after the thermal transfer, the ink sheet 2 and the recording sheet 4 are separated, and one of the separated ink sheets 2 is wound up on a winding roll 8, and the other recording sheet 4 is taken up.
The recording sheet 4 is cut from the rear end of the recording surface by the cutter 9 and ejected from the window, and the remaining recording sheet 4 is cut so that the cut edge is near the heating element 5 so that no margin is left at the edge during the next transfer. The ink sheet 2 is rewound to enter the next thermal transfer standby state. In the above structure, the ink sheet 2 is removable.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a thermal recording apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and thermal recording is possible by loading a thermal paper 10 onto a recording sheet roll 3.

Here, record material (for example, recording sheet 4 or thermal paper 1
A temperature sensor 13 for detecting the ambient temperature (0, etc.) is provided near the recording material. In a thermal recording apparatus that records on 1O, it is provided between a recording sheet roll 3 and a platen roller 7.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration to which the present invention is applied.

The control unit C (shown within the broken line in the figure) of the device has, for example, three types of temperature tables (for high temperature, normal temperature, and low temperature) as shown in FIG. 5 in the ROMII, which are divided by address. . During recording, the temperature sensor 13 first detects the ambient temperature of the recording material 4.1O, and transmits this ambient temperature information to the CPU 12, and selects an appropriate temperature from among the three types of temperature tables stored in the ROMII. Select a table. Next, the temperature of the substrate of the thermal head 6 is detected by the thermistor 14, and this temperature information is sent to the CPU.
At the same time, the applied energy corresponding to the temperature detected by the thermistor is selected from the already selected temperature table and applied to the thermal head 6 via the driver 14.

The above operation will be explained in more detail using the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the ambient temperature is detected. For example, the temperature is detected by the temperature sensor 13 at 5-minute intervals, the information is temporarily stored in the RAM 16, and the average value Ts of the temperatures detected in the past 30 minutes is selected from the temperature table. The standard temperature for Three types of temperature tables are available, and TS is 5℃.
In the following cases, the temperature table (1) is ・Ts is 5℃ to 3
When the temperature is up to 5°C, temperature table (2) shows that Ts is 35
When the temperature exceeds ℃, the temperature table (3) is set to CPU1.
Selected by command 2. Next, based on the temperature information of the thermal head board detected by the thermistor 14,
An application pulse having a pulse width corresponding to an appropriate application energy from the temperature table is supplied to the thermal head 6. For example, if 25° C. is detected as the ambient temperature Ts, temperature table (2) is selected. Next, if the temperature detected by the thermistor is 55°C and the contents of the selected temperature table are as shown in Figure 5, the applied pulse width is 0,7
It becomes m sec.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform thermal recording with applied energy that takes into account the temperature state of the recording material, and therefore takes into account the diffusion of heat to the recording material, so it is possible to perform thermal recording over a wide range of applications without being affected by the temperature of the recording material. It is possible to provide a recording device that can always obtain stable recording in a range of temperature environments.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a thermal transfer recording device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a thermal recording device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 3 is an illustration of the basic configuration of the present invention. The block diagram, FIG. 4 is a flowchart up to recording, and FIG. 5 is an example of a temperature table. In the figure, 1 is a supply roll, 2 is an ink sheet, 3 is a recording sheet roll, 4 is a recording sheet, 5 is a heating element, 6 is a thermal head, 7 is a platen roller, 8 is a winding roll, 9 is a cutter, 10 is thermal paper, 11 is ROM, 12 is CPU,
13 is a temperature sensor, 14 is a thermistor, 15 is a driver, and 16 is a RAM. Rin 3 figure, C control I control myself! Liao tape 1

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a recording device that records on a recording material using the heat generated by the thermal head, multiple temperature tables are used to select the energy to be applied to the thermal head as the temperature of the thermal head changes, and the ambient temperature is detected. A recording apparatus comprising: temperature detection means for detecting temperature; and temperature table selection means for selecting an appropriate temperature table from among the plurality of temperature tables according to the temperature detected by the temperature detection means. (2) The reference temperature when selecting a temperature table is the average temperature of the ambient temperatures detected by the temperature detection means a certain number of times within a certain period of time. Recording device.